Thief of Hearts
by Katarina-Auditore
Summary: There's a new girl in Constantinople that is running rampant on the rooftops. But upon meeting a certain den leader, she switches alignment completely and decides to work amongst them to get what she wants. Rated M for sexual content.
1. 1: Constantinople's Greatest Thief

"I don't know what Selim was thinking, choosing Ahmet as Sultan. He should've stuck with Suleiman."

Ezio sat quietly on a bench amongst a few other civilians as he eavesdropped on the janissaries. He was listening for specific information about a certain guard he was supposed to find and assassinate, but was getting absolutely nowhere. All they were talking about were politics, not his target, Tarik.

"Indeed. Suleiman would've been a much better suited sultan. The boy's got a good head on his shoulders."

_Ridiculous, _Ezio thought to himself. He stood up and walked away, searching for another group of janissaries to snoop on. He soon found a pair and slid into a group of people to better hide himself.

"Have you seen Tarik lately?" one asked.

"I haven't, but I heard he's meeting with the sultan this evening in the courtyard. Why?"

"Nothing important. I just wanted to discuss a promotion."

"The captain is not going to promote you."

Ezio didn't hear the rest of the argument because he had quickly jumped up and ran off, scaling a wall, sprinting back to his den to discuss his newly discovered information with Yusuf. It wasn't long before he was pushing the den door open and walking in to see his friend and an unfamiliar figure at the desk.

"Ah! Ezio, my friend!" Yusuf said, rushing over to greet him. "Come, come! You must meet someone!"

Ezio guessed it was the other person, because when she turned around, he didn't recognize her. She sported pale, pointed face, beautiful blue eyes, and bluish-white hair that was artfully braided and wrapped in a large bun.

_Strange hair color for a woman. I wonder where she's from_, Ezio thought as he smiled and introduced himself.

"I am Ezio, assassin and leader of this den."

"Pleasure. I've heard many great things about you." She looked him up and down with a small smile.

"I'm flattered to meet a woman as beautiful as yourself. But I'm afraid I cannot be less formal unless I know your name."

She scoffed silently and replied, "My name is Katarina."

"It is a beautiful name," Ezio replied with a smile.

"Ah, but Ezio, you do not know what makes this girl so special!"

"You mean it's not her hair?" a nearby assassin joked. Katarina scowled at him.

"No," Yusuf retorted, "but her skill. Have you heard of a rogue assassin running the rooftops?"

"I have not," Ezio said, glancing at her slightly.

"Good, because the rumors aren't true," Katarina snapped.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not an assassin."

Yusuf playfully punched her forearm. "Then what are you?"

"I'm known as the Cat Thief."

"The Cate Thief?" Ezio asked.

"Indeed. I am the greatest thief this city has ever known. I've never been seen and I leave no trace of my existence."

"Then how do people know about you?"

"Well, technically, they don't. But I've been kind enough to leave my mark for a few victims."

"You kill?"

"Victims are not always subject to death."

"See? She's brilliant!" Yusuf shouted.

"She certainly is. I'm excited to see how much of a cat you really are. Now, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I must speak privately with Yusuf," Ezio said to Katarina with a wink.

"No need to apologize. I'm sure I'll see you soon."

She watched the two assassins walk away and jumped a little when the assassin that had mocked her hair spoke.

"Interesting man, isn't he?" He had walked up next to her while she wasn't paying attention.

"Who?"

"Ezio, who else?"

"Yusuf maybe?"

"You know what I meant."

"I think I'd like to see what's underneath all of his gear."

The assassin turned to her with a disgusted look on his face. Katarina laughed and pushed him away.

"You can't hide your jealousy," she teased, walking to her own room and closing the door softly behind her.


	2. 2 : The Cat Thief

Katarina slipped off her clothes and wiped her sweaty skin with a warm, damp piece of cloth and rubbed on some perfume before slipping into a separate, clean leather jumpsuit and boots. She grabbed her cloak and threw it on, pulling up the hood and looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had skillfully sewed on a pair of cat ears to the hood, so that if anyone were to see her while she was out, they would know exactly who they were looking at.

She walked away from the mirror and to the back of the room where a bundle of silk lay against the wall by her bed. It was a beautiful red and gold and when she unraveled it, two swords in black sheaths lay in her hands, the shimmering gold panthers sparkling in the candlelight. She strung them to her body with the leather straps and made sure to tie her belt tightly to her waist. It contained a few pouches for small items and poison, and slots to hold her throwing knives and sleep darts. She also grabbed a black leather satchel that was in an empty heap on the floor, then turned to the empty wall that her bed was fixed against. She pushed a few spots in a specific order and a piece of the walled popped out; a hidden door. Behind the door were all the valuables that she had stolen and kept to herself: gold jewelry, precious gems, a silver and red Venetian mask, gold coins, and several knives with jewel-encrusted handles. The pile glimmered in its hiding place and was quite an illumination. Katarina double checked to make sure it was all there, then fastened the small door quietly and precisely. It's like it wasn't even there.

The thief pulled her satchel onto her back underneath her cloak and walked out of her room. The resident assassins had lit all of the candles and torches, for it had grown quite dark outside. Not a single person was in sight, so Katarina pulled her cloak over her head and slipped out of the den without a sound.

She quickly scaled the wall of the den and climbed to the higher rooftops, careful to avoid any patrolling Templars. Tonight she was on a mission to steal a painting that was apparently very valuable. Her plan was to sell it the next morning in the marketplace for a fair amount of gold.

She darted and hopped across rooftops, a ghost among the shadows, her suit and cloak masking her from the city scene below. She stopped for a rest and looked up into the clear night sky, the stars dancing amongst themselves with the moon. The wind whispered through the loose wisps of her hair and beckoned for her to go farther with it. "Run, my sweet," it cooed to her. Katarina smiled and ran on, closing in quickly on her target.

She climbed down from the roof of a bookstore, checking every window for one that was unlocked, but to no avail; sealed shut tight until morning. She peered inside and saw a single candle lit at a desk. And at that desk was a fairly beautiful woman adorning red hair and a green dress. She seemed focused on her work, a large map that spanned the area of her entire worktable. It wasn't long before the woman stood up and rolled up the map, tucking it under her arm and picking up her candle to retire for the night. As she walked out of sight and the candle's light was no longer visible, Katarina pulled out a throwing knife and worked at sliding the lock of the window aside. It took some effort, but she got it, and pushed open the window after returning her knife to her belt. She crawled in and jumped down from her perch, landing softly on her feet without making a sound.

She crept into the room and scanned the area for the piece, which she found immediately sitting on a shelf not far from the owner's worktable. Katarina looked around cautiously; the item was too easy to grab. This job seemed way to easy.

But the Cat Thief took the painting without any issues and made her way back to the window. She jumped back through it, closing it behind her, and escalated back up to the roof where she put the painting in her bag and stood motionless.

"That took no time at all," she said quietly to herself. "Now what do I do?"

She wanted to see Ezio, but had no idea where he was or how to find him. She couldn't explore the city because she wasn't dressed to wander amongst other civilians. But she didn't have to explore in the streets.

She smiled to herself and took off in a random direction, staying fairly close to the edge of the rooftops in order to see what was below. One thing she noticed right away was that there were a lot of men standing on platforms, preaching loudly to crowds of people. She stopped at about the seventh one she saw to listen to what he was saying. Something about the Assassins.

Katarina carried on and stopped at the next preacher she saw. Same subject. As was the next. And the next. And the next.

"Wow, they really don't like the Assassin presence."

"That's because they've been brainwashed."

Katarina nearly jumped out of her skin when Ezio spoke. She was lucky she didn't fall off the roof onto the preacher below her.

"Did I scare you?" Ezio asked, furrowing his brow.

"No," the thief answered, breathing heavily. "Not at all."

Ezio chuckled and walked up next to her.

"The Templars have done this to them. They're trying to take over."

"I knew that," Katarina said untruthfully.

"A few might be getting paid to say these things."

"I'm sure they are."

Katarina sat down and crossed her legs, watching the other people in the square mingling about.

"The assassins are having a hard time getting rid of the Templars," Ezio told her, sitting next to the girl.

"You think I don't know that?"

"No. But we could use all the help we can get."

"Are you trying to recruit me?"

"Not at all. But if you want to become an assassin, I can arrange—"

"No thanks. I like being The Cat Thief."

Ezio smiled and looked Katarina up and down.

"So what are you doing out here so late in the night?" he asked.

"I might ask you the same thing."

"If you tell me, I'll tell you."

She looked at Ezio, but didn't say a word.

"It's a fair trade."

"I don't think so," she answered, looking back out to the square. A small fight had broken out about a chicken.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because it's none of your business."

"You're a feisty one."

"That's why they call me The Cat Thief."

Ezio looked down at his knees then glanced over at her. He could barely see the outline of her face in the moonlight, but it was a glow against the black sky. "I bet you're out here to steal something," he pushed.

"Wow, congratulations. You finally guessed it."

The Assassin shrugged and smiled. "I guess it wasn't complicated enough for me."

Katarina rolled her eyes and smirked. "I guess you're going to turn me in to the authorities now, aren't you?"

"We assassins are all about law, but not in this city. I think I can overlook this one."

"I don't steal from banks, if that boosts my reputation at all."

"Only a little."

The couple was silent for a moment, taking in the scene of the city. People were beginning to go home for sleep, and the chicken dispute had ended in arrests and a free bird. A sentry of Templars walked through the square, telling the preachers that it was time to leave. One preacher received a small bag from the Templars.

"See there," Ezio pointed to the exchange.

"A coin is worth a thousand words," Katarina said with a smile, which earned her a smile in return from Ezio.

"Hey," someone said from behind. The two looked over their shoulders and saw a Templar guard walking towards them. "You guys can't be up here."

Ezio and Katarina jumped up and made a run for it, the guard shouting at them from behind. A gunshot sounded through the air the bullet zimming in between the two. They ran as fast as they could without stopping, Katarina slightly ahead of the assassin, and in no time were back at the den.

They jumped down to the ground and through the door, panting loudly and laughing at each other.

"You're pretty slow, old man," Katarina teased.

"I'm not as agile as I used to be, but I can still get out of messy situations quite well."

Katarina looked up into his eyes, still panting.

"Your accent is…intriguing. Where are you from?"

"Italy." Ezio looked back into her blue eyes for some time before finding enough courage to ask her of her birthplace.

"Where do you come from?"

Katarina finally caught her breath and didn't answer for a moment.

"It's a mystery," she said, smiling.

The two stood in silence for a minute or two, taking in the features of the other. It made Katarina's stomach swirl with excitement and her heart began to beat quickly. She hoped that he would lean forward and kiss her. Nothing long or powerful. Just a soft, sweet kiss.

But he didn't. He smiled and took her hand in his, which was just as good for the thief.

"It's late. You should get some rest."

Katarina didn't say anything, only nodded and turned away, walking to her room and closing the door softly behind her.

In the darkness of her bedroom, she undressed and opened her private slot in the wall, where she placed her winnings from the book store. It was certainly a beautiful piece, and she realized that it was a great resemblance of its owner. She shrugged and sealed the door, slipping into her bed and instantly falling asleep.


End file.
